Haywood County officials are discussing putting SRO’s in schools to keep kids safe from gun violence. Once a tax increase in next year’s proposed budget gets the final OK from commissioners the revenue will go toward expanding the school resource officer program, County Manager Bryant Morehead told commissioners at this weeks meeting [May 15]. The request, made in Morehead’s preliminary 2023-24 budget, would provide for eight additional school resource officers at a cost of $1.48 million. Currently, there are seven SROs who rotate and provide security for the 15 schools in Haywood County, including eight elementary schools. More than 46% of mass shooters in the United States purchased their weapons legally, according to The Violence Project.
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